Testimonial: Guided meditation? I said, “Well, I’m not sure how to do it.” I was familiar with the topic but I thought that was . . . I didn’t quite believe that that had a link with this. My thought process back then was . . . again, going back to my background of well over 30 some-odd years I was a practicing engineer in the Bay Area, yet I had a problem. It was confirmed. I’m looking for a technical solution for it. I was looking for the best technical solution I could find. Well, it turned out the solution is within. That took a while to really understand and appreciate.
Dean Ornish: High blood pressure affects over 60 million Americans and you may be one of them. What happens when you go to your doctor and you’re told that your blood pressure is too high, is they usually say: Here are pills you need to take to control your blood pressure. You might say: How long do I need to take them? And they say, usually, forever–for the rest of your life. And the reason is is because we’re not addressing the underlying cause. It’s a little like mopping up the floor while the sink is overflowing without turning off the faucet. How long do I have to keep mopping up the floor? And the answer is: Forever. But somebody might say: Well, why don’t I just turn off the faucet.
In most cases, the reason that blood pressure is too high relates to our lifestyle—what we eat, how we respond to stress, how much activity we have, and how much love and support we have. And what we find, and what others have found in their studies, is that when you go far enough on the spectrum in each of these four elements, that your blood pressure in many cases will begin to diminish and under your doctor’s supervision, you may be able to reduce or often discontinue these medications.
Testimonial: Now, the state of mind, which essentially comes into yoga and meditation, is probably as beneficial to me if not more than the exercise that I get or the food that I eat. I measured my own blood pressure and just doing simple breathing exercises, I was able to drop it by up to about 30 points, I guess, after you do that a couple of times, you realize there is, in fact, a very, very physical mind/body connection. I don’t always feel it instantaneously but that doesn’t mean it’s not there.
